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The Events Leading to the War
On this timeline, all the events leading up to the Civil War are shown. From the Missouri Compromise, passed on March 3, 1820, to the attack on Fort Sumner on April 12, 1861. As we get closer to the Civil War, more emotions boil and more tragedy strikes the United States. -
The Missouri Compromise
On March 3, 1820, Representative Henry Clay Of Massachusetts comes up with a compromise. Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state, but Maine would enter as a free state, keeping the Congressional balance of power. A line was also drawn across the Louisiana Territory at latitude 36°,30'. North of this line, slavery was banned forever except in Missouri. South of this line, slavery was permitted. -
Compromise of 1850
While the country was in deadlock over California, Henry Clay had tried to come with a compromise. Finally, with the support of Senator Daniel Webster, he took his compromise to Congress. It began by admitting California as a free state to the Union. New Mexico and Utah would decide to allow slavery. All slave trade was to end in Washington, D.C. but slaveholders could keep slaves. Clay's plan called for a strong fugitive slave law. Congress debated for nine months before passing it. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed for new territories, called Kansas and Nebraska, to decide if they were a free or slave state by popular sovereignty. The Kansas-Nebraska Act abolished the Missouri Compromise.It reignited the disagreement between pro and anti-slavery factions. An effect of the Kansas-Nebraska Act was the Bloodshed in Kansas. The aftermath had cause a greater division between North and South, causing much more tension. -
Dred Scott Case
A Missouri slave named Dred Scott sued for his freedom after his owner died. Scott and his owner had traveled to Wisconsin, were slavery was banned. He claimed that his time there made him free. On March 6, 1857, the Supreme court decided that Scott could not sue because he was an African American and not a citizen. The Supreme Court also rejected his argument that his stay in Wisconsin made him a free man. Northerners strongly disagreed with the decision, while slaveholders were satisfied. -
Election of 1860
By 1860, the country had divided in more then one way. The presidential race showed just that. While Republicans were united by Lincoln, Democrats had split into two divisions: North and South Democrats. Lincoln won, but with just 40% of the votes. Un ten states, he wasn't even on the ballot. For white Southerners, this meant they were not the minority and they felt threaten. In the next month, South Carolina decided to leave the Union. By February in 1861, six more states followed their lead. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
On April 12, 1861, after President Lincoln sent fresh supplies to Fort Sumter, Confederates in Charleston, South Carolina had bombarded Fort Sumter for 34 hours. Confederate warships turned back the supply convey. On April 14, the defenders hauled down the flag and replaced it with a white flag. A wave of patriotic fury was unleashed in the North. The issues of slavery would now be decided by civil war.
